Her Choice
by pinkjellyx0
Summary: Gabriella had been raising her 4 younger siblings her whole life. With her mother on the road to self-destruction, an absent father, and the college opportunity slowly slipping away, what will she do?
1. Separation

**Title: Her Choice**

**Rating: T; Family/Drama; Minor TxG**

**Summary: Gabriella had been raising her 4 younger siblings her whole life. With her mother on the road to self-destruction, an absent father, and the college opportunity slowly slipping away, what will she do?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to HSM. I only own the four younger siblings. Based of off a story in Reader's Digest. I don't own the 66 diner, or Borders either.**

**Author's Note: As I said in the disclaimer, this story is based off of an article I read. I was on the way home from school, trying to tune of the voice of my grandmother and I dug around in the backseat of the car and found the magazine while she went in Wendy's to get food. I flipped through the pages and not so much as cracked a smile at all of the corny jokes when I saw this story. It touched my heart and brought me to tears. I decided to make a story off of it. I hope you enjoy Her Choice!**

Imagine growing up with a drug-addicted alcoholic negligent mother, no father in sight, and four sibling who were on the precipice of being separated, threatening to tear your family apart. These were the cards of life dealt to Gabriella Marie Montez. She was 17 years old, a very smart, bright, beautiful girl. As if that really mattered in the real world. Gabriella lived with her mother, Isabel, and her four siblings: Leah, Chris, Nathaniel, and Manuel Montez, the second. Chris and Nathaniel who were the twins, were ten, Leah was seven, and the youngest Manuel was only 4. They lived in an apartment with only two rooms and a bathroom in Albuquerque. The apartment wasn't too shabby. At least it wasn't like their last one, with undone paint on the walls, most of it covering expletives left by previous owners, and signed on the faucets in the kitchen and bathrooms saying that their was no hot water. Gabriella and her siblings all shared a room and a small cramped twin sized bed, while her mother slept to herself in a queen sized bed. That bed, although, was rarely occupied. Isabel Montez would often stumble in their house at any time in the night, with her cackling laughter, bottle full of half-emptied booze, and on some occasions: a man on her arm. Gabriella was basically more of a mother to them than Isabel could ever be. She helped with their homework, their projects and essays. She'd bought and changed the numerous diapers, fed them in the wee hours of the morning when their mother was either too lazy or not even at home to tend to them. She lulled them to sleep when they cried, and nursed them when they were sick. Once, the children all came down with some ailment, turning out to be chicken pox. Gabriella made a late night trip to the 24 hour pharmacy and bought an endless supply of calamine lotion to rub them down with and oatmeal to bathe them in. Gabriella and her siblings often awoke to their mother passed out and sprawled along the couch, usually with a note on the counter from the man from the previous night, if they were nice. Some others left with no forewarning. It wasn't anything unfamiliar to Gabriella, as she never had seen a stable relationship before. Her father, Manuel, had walked out on them soon after the youngest was born, his excuse being that he couldn't handle the pressure of four kids and that he was only staying because he felt they needed a father. The weight was obviously too much on his shoulders, so he packed and left, never to be seen or heard from again. This eventually lead to Isabel's inevitable downfall. In the weeks following, the children watched their mother sit at their dining room table surrounded by numerous ashtrays, long white lines on clear surfaces, razors, and empty bottled of Heineken, Vodka, or whatever else she pleased. Gabriella tried so hard to shield her kin from the sight before them and it hurt her more and more with each passing day..

Gabriella walked up the stairs to their apartment at around 11:00 pm, coming home from her part time waitress job at the 66 Diner in town. This was her junior year in school, and she signed for summer school that would continue into her senior year, although she was already in school at the time. She had big dreams and planned on going to college and she needed a scholarship to do that. With her grades, it would have come easily with all the effort she was putting forth. She left school at 3:30 and worked at the diner until 11 then poured herself into endless homework, which wasn't much of a hassle considering her impeccable intelligence. She was truly exhausted, not just from work, but from life. She was tired of living , they'd been thrown around so much in their lives, they never stayed in one place too long. She'd lost count after 16 schools. She sighed deeply before pulling her keys from her waitress apron and put them in the lock, twisting them before opening the door and walking into the living room. The apartment wasn't as nearly as mess as she thought it would be. There was still half-eaten TV dinners on the coffee table, her siblings sleeping soundly on the couch with their downstairs neighbor, who happily obliged to look after them knowing their situation, in a lightly dimmed room with the only sources of light being the TV, and the dining room light. She sighed a sigh of relief and placed her keys onto the desk near the door and taking off her coat and apron. She woke up Ms. Gutierrez and let her know she could go home. She thanked her as she made her way back to her place downstairs. She stepped out onto the balcony, enjoying the cool night winds of the air brushing along her face. She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, and smiled softly. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before walking back inside. She went to the television, turned the volume down and took the TV dinners and put them in the refrigerator. She hoisted two children up onto her hips and placed them on her bed, and went back into the living room to do the same for the others. She decided she would take the couch tonight. She tucked them in and kissed each of their foreheads and whispered 'goodnight'. She went back into the living room, took off her shoes and went to the kitchen to put the dinner she took home from the diner, courtesy of May and Gee, the diner's managers who were like her parents; in the microwave. She also put her dessert, a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie sundae in the freezer. She waited on top of the kitchen counter when the microwave beeped, signaling her food was done. She smiled and took it out, and going to sit on her makeshift bed to enjoy her plate of fried catfish, coleslaw and french fries. She enjoyed watching her favorite late-night shows, including Forensic Files, Family Guy, and any other old time show on TV Land that she happened to catch. She became engrossed with television for about 45 minutes when she heard a coughing sound. She rushed to her room to find Leah coughing. She picked her up and patted her back just enough to not hurt her. She went to the kitchen and ransacked through the cabinets for some cough medicine and filled a cup with water.

"Here, Leigh," she said, kneeling down and handing the water to her. "Take this." She brought the spoon with cough remedy to her mouth, but Leah shook her head and closed her lips tightly, trying not to let another cough escape. "You have to or you'll keep coughing." Gabriella insisted, but she still refused. "You're killing me here, Ana, please." Gabriella pleaded. Seeing the concern in her sister's eyes, Leah .hesitantly opened her mouth and took the medicine into it. She scrunched up her face and swallowed the concoction before downing the water she had in her hand. She wiped her mouth and Gabriella smiled, brushing her hair from her sister's face.

"Good girl, now back to bed."

"No," Leah refused. "I wanna stay here with you." She said, hugging her sister's waist tightly.

"That's lovely, but you need to get some sleep."

"Please?" Leah looked up at her sister with pleading eyes that she couldn't refuse.

"Fine." Gabriella said, reluctantly giving in. Gabriella and her sisters walked to the couch where they laid down. Leah was situated in front of her sister on the couch, snuggled into her as they watched cartoons. About an hour later, she was slowly but surely falling asleep within minutes. Gabriella glanced at the clock on the wall. It was almost 11 o'clock. She heard someone outside fumbling with the doorknob. It was her mother. She quickly scooped Leah into her arms and placed her back in her bed and closed the door, making sure they were safe. She didn't want her sister to see her mother in her condition, despite the fact that she had already seen it before. Her mother had an unkempt appearance. Her chest was falling from her shirt, one of her shoes missing, a sleeve and a bra strap down, and her hair resembled something like a sheepdog. Gabriella shook her head in disappointment. What happened to the strong woman I knew before all this, she thought to herself. Thanks a lot, Dad. Her mother stumbled into the room and Gabriella sat up from her position to watch her mother struggle with the simplest task of walking.

"G-Gabrilela," her mother slurred, giggling. "Th-th-this is...um...Chuck...Chase...Charles...no! This is Chet! Chet, honey, this is my--my sister, " Gabriella looked at her mother with a look of disbelief on her face. I guess the says 'drunk minds speak sober hearts' was true after all. She though. Isabel went to put her arm around Gabriella's shoulder.

"Mom!" She said, shaking out of her mother's drunken embrace.

"What?! He knows I'm kidding," her mother defended. "Anyway, this is Ga-Gab-Gabrielelfa." She mumbled, giggling more. Scratch that, Gabriella watched her mother struggle with the simple task of talking. She scrunched up her nose at the familiar smell of some alcohol on her mom's breath. She rolled her eyes, eying the man she introduced. The smell of Bacardi overpowered the smell of her mother's usual sweet smelling shea butter or fruity scented lotion. "You know people think we're sisters anyway honey."

"Well why did you tell me she was so cute? Hey, how you doing?" The scruffy man asked, extending his hand for Gabriella to shake. She stood up, brushing herself off and ignoring his gesture.

"I'm fine, thank you very much." Gabriella said as she sneered at the hairy, nasty man.

"Gabi, be nice." Her mother demanded, plopping onto the couch, laughing loudly. "Chet's a nice guy."

"Oh, like Greg, Mark and Mike?' She laughed incredulously. "And could you be any louder?! Your children are in the next room, sleeping!" Gabriella yelled quietly, avoiding contradicting herself.

"Get your fucking panties out of a bunch Gabriella, I'm just having fun." She yelled back, louder than before. Gabriella winced before sighing.

"Whatever, Mom. I'm going to bed," she muttered angrily as she took her plate from the table and set it in the refrigerator. "If you're such a nice guy, there's a pen and a post it-stuck to the counter for you," she said gesturing to the kitchen counter that indeed had a pink post-it with a pen next to it. "That there, is for your goodbye note for when you leave while she's sleeping. Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow." She said, before bidding them goodnight with a load of sarcasm in her voice. Gabriella's mother ignored her and muttered something about Gabriella always being jealous of her and she got up from her spot on the couch and led Chet to her bedroom with a seductive smirk on her face. Gabriella tilted her head to the ceiling when she heard her mother's door shut. She walked to the couch and sat down, holding her head in her hands and she sobbed quietly. She wiped her eyes and ran her hands through her hair, sniffling. Why was her mother so different that the woman she had once been? Maybe if her dad hadn't abandoned them, they'd still be a loving, normal, family. Not some dysfunctional jumbled mess of a clan. At school, the children kept to themselves, not wanting others to know their lives, but it showed in their demeanor. Sometimes the children went without meals due to their mom not signing them up for the lunch program. They'd sit, aloof and desolate from everyone as they looked at other kids laughing and eating peanut butter-jelly sandwiches and snacks,sipping on fruit juices while they envied them. Meals at home were different. Depending on the man that stumbled through their door when their mom came home, it was a different story each time. Once, Gabriella was thrown across the room because food wasn't on the table promptly enough, which resulted in stitches and a slap from her mother, earning her a bruise on her light cheek in the shape of fingers. She continued crying even more. She decided to finally lay down and let the tears flowing from her eyes take her to sleep.

She mumbled in her half-asleep state and tugged on the covers from where she lay on the floor, trying to warm herself up as a sudden burst of light came from outside. She laid her small kitten on her chest and played with its fur.

"Ow, Shadow! You bit my finger!" The door creaked as she opened her eyes, sitting up and rubbing them. She saw Chet, the man from last night, watching her, with a beer in his hand, quickly guzzling the rest of it.

"You know, you don't live here." Gabriella whispered loudly enough for him to hear. "You can't just go ransacking through our fridge anytime you want."

The man ignored her remarks as he cleared his throat. "You up?" He asked, obviously oblivious to the face that she spoke two sentences to him.

Gabriella rolled her eyes. "I am now. What do you want?"

"Sorry about that. Can we talk somewhere? Just you..and me?" He asked, with pleading eyes.

_I guess it could do no harm._ Gabriella thought. She removed the feline from her and let it scurry away past him. He left her doorway and walked outside into the hazy, fog-filled morning, with a scowl across her face wanting to sleep in because it was a Saturday.

She walked out of her doors, seeing Chet on the steps near her door, lighting a cigarette. She went to sit down next to him, but stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?"

"Well come sit down, I'm not gonna bite." He said, taking a puff of his cancer stick.

"Where's my mom?"

"Passed out, as usual right?" He retorted. "Come sit down, I said." Gabriella bit her lip nervously as she sat down, a few feet away from him if she needed to escape. "I just want to talk." He said, extending the pack of cigarettes with one sticking out for her to take.

Gabriella reluctantly sat down, keeping her distance away from him.

"I know you guys have had a hell of a time living with her. I can see that." He said, taking another puff. "She drinks too much, parties too much--"

"But you're not seeming to stop her, so quit it with the 'father-figure' act. If you really cared, you wouldn't have stayed the night and taken advantage of her like everyone else does." She snapped.

"But see me," he said ignoring her yet again. "I just wanna be your friend. Can we be friends, Gabi?"

"Don't call me that. Only my mom calls me 'Gabi'."

"Fine. I'm gonna be living her now, you know that, right?"

Gabriella scoffed. "Well good luck. The longest a guy's been here is two weeks, and I'd sure as hell love to see you try to break that record."

"You're a smart girl, Gabriella." He said with a laugh. "I see those little rugrats, that whole little bunch, depend on you." Gabriella scooted even farther away from him. "I'm sorry, did I frighten you?" He said, smirking evilly. "I didn't mean to. Hey, little girl, I know how hard it is for you. No one to help you, no one to hold you, love you. Touch you. That's why you need a friend, right?" He said, reaching his hand out to touch her cheek. Gabriella quickly scuffled and darted back into the open doors, running to the kitchen. He quickly followed behind. She bent down, looking into the freezer for her dessert when she heard footsteps. She continued look around for it, and found even more of it eaten with only a bit left. She felt him quickly come up behind her.

"If you're looking for that sundae, I used some of it on your mom, she was quite a delight." Shivers went up her spine when he said this, and not the good kind. "I can use some on you, if you're into that sort of thing." He whispered huskily, trailing his nimble fingers from the back of her thighs and reaching up to grab a handful of her behind. Before he got that close, Gabriella took an empty beer bottle and swung around, making it collide with the side of his face. She threw the remains on the ground as she looked at him in shock of what she did. It hit her when she saw the blood trailing down his jawline. He growled and wiped it away as she trembled in front of him. He took his right hand and gave her a backhand slap, making her collide with the open fridge door.

"Bitch." He whispered fiercely. She clutched her face and got up, seeing the blood on her fingers. She grabbed his wrists and forced him to the wall with a surge of power before he bounced back slamming her to the counter. His lips quickly attached themselves to her neck.

"Yeah, you like that don't you?" He asked, biting down harshly on her soft skin.

"No!" Gabriella whimpered, struggling to get out of his grasp. "Mom.." She whispered tearfully.

"Mommy can't help you now." He said, playing with the hem of her pink camisole. Soon she heard her bed room door open and saw her youngest brother, Manuel watching with worry in his eyes from the doorway.

"Manuel, mi hermano, por favor, please go back inside." She cried tearfully as she tried to get from his grasp. He walked back in, not knowing what was going on, and trusting his sister to take care of herself.

"Mmm, speak some more Spanish for me, baby." Gabriella let tears fall from her eyes when she heard footsteps coming into the kitchen.

"What the fuck is going on in here?!" Her mother said, tying her robe around her trying to fix her disheveled hair. He soon dropped her from the refrigerator letting her slide down to the floor as he backed up with his hands in the air, like he'd been caught by a cop.

"This isn't what it looks like baby, this slut was coming on to me."

"Slut?!" Gabriella cried incredulously, while standing up. "Are you fucking_ shitting me_?! Mom, he--" Her sentence was cut short when her mother grasped both her arms and slammed her into the kitchen wall where they stood face to face panting heavily. "Mom..look at my face, look at my--"

"SHUT UP!" Her mother screamed, only a couple centimeters away from her face. "Gabriella Montez don't you dare fuck this up for me. This is you and your sisters and brothers chance for a father, or at least something like it."

"Mom, please, please! He could've broken my jaw, Mom, look at me!" She said, her shoulders heaving up and down as a result of her weeps and sobs.

"Shut up!" She screamed once more. "Baby...don't do this..Chet..he's..he's the one.."

"The one? The one to what, Mom, what? Kill me? Kill you?"

"I said shut up!" She said, this time ending it with a slap to her other cheek. "Gabi, honey, I'm young..and I like this one a lot...please, let's just make this one work okay?"

Gabriella looked into her mother's pleading eyes as more tears ran down hers. She shook her head tearfully and yanked away from her mother's grasp. Gabriella's mom leaned her head up against the wall in defeat. "Gabriella wait!" She didn't answer her and she walked off back to her room going into the bathroom. She locked the door, sat on the toilet and cried some more. She wiped her tears and reached into one of the drawers to pull out a razor she kept for herself. She breathed trembling breaths as she felt the sharp, cool metal collide with her wrist, making a red line ooze out that would create a scar to match the others ones that were placed all over her body. Some spelled words, some were symbols. Either one, they eased the pain.

* * *

The weekend slowly passed by as another one approached. Coincidentally, Chet stayed. It was early Monday morning and Gabriella was preparing for school as her younger siblings sat at the table and enjoyed breakfast. Their mother was going to take them to school today, because surprisingly, she stayed sober through that past weekend. She finished her meal of toast and bacon (that she made, along with the kids' breakfast) and kissed them all goodbye and wished for them to have a nice day as she prayed a silent prayer for them all. She was going to take the bus to school. She left the apartment and rushed to the bus stop and waited. When it came by she boarded it as it made its way to East High.

Gabriella soon walked inside the school nervously because she felt everyone's eyes on her--well, her cheeks. There were two marks on both sides of her face that showed no sign of healing anytime soon, despite how much concealer she used or how much Neosporin she applied. She kept her head down as she tried to tune out the murmurs and whispers of her fellow classmates. She made her way quietly down the hallways to her Pre-Calculus class. She got to the doors and rushed to her seat as the bell rang. She zoned out for most of the period since she already knew the material being taught. She came back to reality when she found her teachers passing back last week's test. She heard the moans and groans and vows of suicide around her while she smiled at the A-plus marked in a felt-tipped red pen on her paper. She basked in the feeling when she heard a voice next to her, causing her to jump.

"Nice job," the young boy said. "Mind tutoring me sometime?" She locked eyes with the boy and immediately melted. He had the most wonderful blue eyes, a dazzling smile, and biceps out of this world. She blushed furiously and looked back down at her paper.

"Uh..no..I wouldn't mind at all." She said, not trying to sound too eager. The boy extended his large, calloused hand.

"I'm Troy." He said.

"Gabriella." She said smiling and shaking his hand. She felt a surge of electricity and excitement course through her veins.

"I know who you are. You work at the 66 Diner, don't you? I see you around sometimes. You see me?"

"No," Gabriella blushed again. "I'm so caught up in the rushes and orders, I don't really pay much attention."

"Well you should try relaxing sometimes, you look like you need a break."

Gabriella was intrigued at how much this guy was talking to her. Not that she was objecting, of course. Who wouldn't want to talk to this Adonis? She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by the rude sound of the bell signaling next period.

"I'll see you around Gabriella." Troy said, as he left his seat and made his way towards the door, winking at her from the doorway before exiting. Gabriella's heart and stomach fluttered wildly. She bit her lip, packed her bags and made her way to her next class, Human Development. She made her way through the hallway when she felt an arm pulling her back. It was one of her teachers, Mr. McCall.

"What happened to you?" He inquired.

"Ran into a door." She said quietly, trying to leave, but he pulled her back once more.

"Bull." He exclaimed. "Are you gonna tell me, or do I have to let you explain this one to the office?" Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"What difference does it make, I've been hit since birth." She said, snatching away.

"Where are you from?"

"All over."

"_Where_ all over?"

"Everywhere! Hotels, motels, shelters, sidewalks, alleys, everywhere! Campgrounds, trailer parks, regular parks, playgrounds, we even lived in a car, so what?!"

"You ever tell anyone?" His expression softened.

"No. And I don't plan on it."

"I'm going to have to report this, you know."

"Why?" She asked, confused.

-----

The day soon ended, with many thoughts in Gabriella's head. She sat on the couch watching her siblings play when she heard her mom come in the doors with Chet. Despite the fact that the kids were driven to school by Isabel, it never occurred to her that they also had to be brought home. Her negligence and 3 days absence resulted in the kids riding the unsafe city buses back home.

"Hey everyone!" She said, kissing Gabriella on the top of her head. "Where's my babies? I brought donuts for everyone!"

Leah came in the kitchen. "I do! I'm starving!"

"Well come on and get one, I got everyone's favorite." She said opening the box. "We're gonna get fa-aat!" She said in a singsong voice.

"Mom, please, you're way skinny."

"Too skinny, you think?" She turned away from her. "Come on Gabi, take one, I've got your fave--"

"You've been gone for three days, Mom. We..have..nothing. All we have is cereal, no money, no milk, nothing."

"Oh come on Gabi, don't I deserve a life too?" She said. "You kids are always on my fucking tail about everything. 'There's no milk, no money, we only have cereal--' " Gabriella's mom mocked.

"Well excuse me for wanting to, oh, I don't know, _stay alive_?! Mom, you're a mom now, there's no time left, you've got kids! You can't go around partying all night like this is college! You've got responsibilities!" Gabriella screamed.

"Sure, whatever, responsibility, blah, blah, blah." Isabel plopped down on the couch as Gabriella snuggled with Shadow. She took a bit of a donut and relaxed when she heard sirens from outside. Her eyes popped open. She pulled back the curtains and saw a load of police cars. She placed them back and ran to the back of the apartment. Gabriella walked calmly from her seat on the couch and wandered and watched her mom in her frenzied state. She watched her flush the cigarettes down the toilet and dispose quickly of used drug needles.

"Kids, kids, come on get up and get out, there's cops!" She said, pulling her jacket back on.

"Mama, what's happening?" Manuel asked.

"Let's go!" She screamed as she saw Chet slipping on his shoes and heading to the window. "What are you doing? Stay, you've got to help me with these kids!"

"I'm not in any part of this." He said opening the window, taking one look back at Gabriella before jumping out. He looked at his surroundings and ran, but not for long before he was tackled and handcuffed by an onlooking officer. A man walked in the doors and took the young ones by the hand and led them out before another one came in and handcuffed Isabel.

"Where are you taking us?" Little Leah asked.

"Kids can't stay with parents with drugs." The man explained. The men tried to separate them into different cars when they head their mother's screams.

"Where are you going with my kids?! I didn't even know that man had drugs, he just showed up last night, I don't even know him!" Isabel screamed. "Gabi, please do something! Don't let them take me!"

Gabriella had no choice but to look on at her mother's painful cries as it ate away at her soul.

"Gabi, do something!" A different voice pleaded. Gabriella watched her mother being put into the back of the squad car and looked at Leah's red puffy eyes.

Gabriella cried as she didn't know which car to run to, each of which held one of her siblings. She ran to the car with Chris and Nathaniel inside as she pounded on the window and she saw his frightened, confused face. She continued to look around in despair, begging for someone to help. She saw her two twin brothers being put into a van and she ran over to them, being restrained by two police officers.

"Please, please don't hurt him, he's very fragile. Stop it!" Her brother Manuel screamed in agony from the rough police officers hands. "He's terrified of people he doesn't know, please don't do this!"

"You can't do this, you can't break us apart! You just can't!" She continued pounding more and more as she cried. The car slowly slipped from her fingertips as she fell to her knees and cried into the pavement. As the last cars sped away, she watched her family being torn apart to shreds right before her eyes. She watched her four younger siblings being taken against their will, bound for different foster homes. Her last words were only..

"I'm sorry..I'm so sorry."

**Well that's the first chapter of my new story! I hope I didn't give away too much information or if there was too much drama. ****I didn't really like the ending part. ****Troy's been introduced as well as Gabi's family life. ****He will play a somewhat major part in the story, but not too much. This story will be Gabriella-centric. ****I hope everyone likes it! Please review, it was pretty lengthy for a first chapter.  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews! I really appreciated them, and I'm glad some of you recognized the movie! I'll try to make this as different as possible! I changed my name, just to clear up any confusion. Enjoy chapter two! I don't own anything in this chapter, unless stated otherwise. I own Maribel Montez and Nellie too.  
**

**Her Choice  
Chapter Two: Tomorrow  
**

It had been six months to the day that Gabriella and her family were separated. She had had no contact with her mother or her younger siblings, who she hoped and prayed weren't suffering the same fate as her. She was taken to a juvenile detention center, despite the fact she had done nothing wrong. There was no telling where her mother was, her siblings were probably in horrible, crude foster homes, and there was no sign of things getting better..at least not in the near future.

The day was cloudy and dreary, much like Gabriella"s mood. She was outside the facilities in the courtyard where the other delinquents got their exercise. Her and her group were led outside by the appointed wardens and they all spread out to exercise. Gabriella had such an unkempt appearance, people who knew her wouldn't recognize her. Her hair was matted up into two ponytails that rested on her shoulders, her eyes were always puffy and red from the amount of crying she did, not to mention the dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep..due to her crying. Outside, she found a secluded corner in the back away from most of the people, and looked around at everyone with her arms crossed and sniffling occasionally. She wiped away the tears that flowed and kept looking down when she saw feet coming towards her from her peripheral vision. She looked up to see two girls talking and standing behind her.

"Ooh, fresh meat." One of the girls said. This girl was slightly large and had a scraggly appearance like Gabriella"s, but worse.

"What are you in here for?" The other girl said.

"It's really none of your business." Gabriella said, as the instructor blew her whistle, signaling them to start moving.

"What'd you do? Shoplifting? Murder? Robbery?" The second girl persisted. Gabriella rolled her eyes.

"If you must know, my mom's on drugs. My family, me, my brothers, and sister were separated." She said, tears welling up once more. There was a silence between the three of them before the other two girls started laughing. Gabriella looked at them incredulously. How could they be laughing at her?

"Oh boo-hoo, like we haven"t heard that one before."

"Don't know why she"s crying, she's one of the lucky ones, right? Poor little family. Better toughen up, little baby. Want your diaper changed?"

"Better yet, you want your mommy? Oh, wait, never mind. She's probably out doping herself up and thankful to be away from a frigid bitch like you." At this, Gabriella snapped. She instantly stopped her stretching and turned around and swung at one of the girls. She missed and the smaller one of the two wrapped her arms around her waist and slammed her into the fence as she pounded her fists into Gabriella"s skull. She got out of her grasp, and tackled her to the concrete ground while on top of her, pounding her face in. The guards soon came over to tear the two apart, dragging a screaming and kicking Gabriella away back inside the detention center to serve her time of solitary confinement. She screamed and kicked down the hallways until she reached her cell. They ripped the door open and tossed her inside like a useless rag doll, and she collided to the padded ground and rolled over until her back hit the wall. She sat up and began screaming more.

"Where is my family?! I deserve to know where they are!" She screamed. The guards just looked at her with sly grins on their faces. "Let me call my aunt! I demand to call her!"

Soon after this, they allowed her to make her one phone call. Her maternal aunt, Maribel Montez, soon arrived at the center. They allowed Gabriella to gather her things and leave. She sat out in the cold on the front steps as she waited for her aunt"s car to pull up. About 10 minutes later, she saw a shiny silver Volvo slowly make its way towards her. She grabbed her bags and her aunt got out of the car and walked to her niece, opening her arms for a hug. Gabriella didn't do as much as crack a smile and she remained stationary. Her aunt dropped her arms and looked on with a look of confusion.

"Why didn't you try to come get ys?" Gabriella asked in a hoarse whisper, her eyes turning the darkest of reds anyone could have ever seen. Maribel"s expression softened more as she opened her mouth to explain.

"No one told me you were here, Gabi." Maribel reasoned. "I called your mother constantly. The phone was always disconnected. I called and called and called."

"What about Chris and Nathan and Manuel, Leah too?"

"All of you are staying with me from now on." Gabriella"s face lit up and she smiled profusely. "There"s that smile I know. Get in the car, go on."

Gabriella hopped in the front seat and strapped herself in as her aunt did the same. They started up the car and started their journey to her aunt's house. Most of the ride was silent until her aunt spoke.

"Your mother's still in jail, you know." Maribel said softly.

"I know. But what happens when she gets out?"

"I can tell you this, she's not staying with us. She can't even see you kids and that's final. If I don't get to keep you, she won't either. I have no job, and I have to get an income somehow."

"I work."

"Gabriella, you pull double and triple shifts until dawn. You're at school for only half of the day as it is. It's time for you to think about you, you're still a child.

"I hate her for what she did." Gabriella stated coldly, ignoring her aunt's remarks. Those were the last words spoken in the duration of the ride. Soon afterward, they pulled up to her aunt's condo. She grabbed her bags from the back and made her way into the house and upstairs to the room that her aunt told her she'd sleep in. She settled her things and placed them in drawers and such when her aunt came into the room.

"Your brother and sister will be here very soon." Maribel said with a smile. Gabriella's face lit up once more as she halted her tasks and made her way downstairs and out to the front porch when she saw a black car pulled up with what seemed to have four eager and hyper kids in the back. The driver stepped out and let the children get out. Gabriella opened her arms to her younger family, and they ran into them without hesitation. She felt herself beginning to cry as she embraced her family.

"Gabi we missed you so much!" Christopher yelled. "Why didn't you call us?"

"I had no idea where to phone! Oh God, you've all grown so much!" She said as she hugged her brother tighter. Leah and Manuel were in the arms of their aunt who showered them with continuous kisses. She put them down and they hugged Gabriella from behind. Manuel's birthday had recently passed, so he was now 5.

She kissed the top of his head before switching her attention to Nathan, who looked completely different since the last time she saw him. His hair was now spiky and a darker shade of brown than it used to be. "Nate, what did you do to your hair?

"You like it?" He said, running his hands through his hair slowly. "Does she have any hair gel?"

"I don't know about that, but there's Jello for sure." She reassured, kissing the top of his head. He soon pulled away and shook his head and Gabriella looked at him confusedly.

"Gabi, you can't 'dent the do'." She laughed at his lame attempt at humor as they all walked back into the condo.

The day quickly passed by as the family gathered to catch up on old times with each other. Bedtime soon neared and Gabriella went into her room, plopping down on her bed, hoping to relax. She shut her eyes but they soon popped open as she felt her bed slightly dip. She sighed and sat up meeting the eyes of her younger sister Leah, who looked more than tired.

"Hey Leah, what are you doing up so late? It's way past your bedtime."

"I couldn't sleep in that big bed all by myself. Auntie won't let me and the boys stay in the same room, it's one of her 'commandents' or something like that. I wanted to stay in here with you." She said as she snuggled into her older sister's side.

"Well, you know, that's alright with me. You're welcome in here any time you liked." She sat up against the headboard and Leah laid her head on Gabriella's lap, trying to keep herself awake by talking.

"Gabi, what's going to happen to Mommy? Are we ever going to see her again?" Gabriella froze, not knowing how to answer her question. The reply she had in mind wasn't exactly suitable for someone Leah's age. She also couldn't tell her sister that there was a possibility that she wouldn't see her again either.

"To tell you the truth," Gabriella began, "I honestly don't have a clue right now."

"Do you think she misses us?" Gabriella stroked her sisters brown curls as she tried to think of an answer, and something else to get them off the subject of their mother, or for her to fall asleep.

"I think she does miss us."

"Did _you_ miss us?"

"Of course I did, I hated not having you guys there with me. It's you four that keep me going through the day. I promise, I won't let anyone tear us apart ever again."

"Do you really promise?"

"You have my word. Now go to sleep." Leah tucked herself under the covers and Gabriella did too after she cut off her bedside lamp. She kissed her sister on the cheek and whispered 'goodnight' before she fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

The following day, the children were up and preparing for school with the help of their aunt. Gabriella had already gone, since her school started at a much earlier time than that of her younger siblings. She walked inside with her books held snugly to her chest. She had gotten through most of the day with a breeze, even making small conversation with Troy, the boy in her math course. He asked why she had been gone so long, but she wanted to avoid the subject by telling him she had to go pick up her brothers, which wasn't a lie. In a hurry, she brushed past the crowd up the stairs and down the halls when she collided with another human form, her books falling to her feet.

"Aren't you supposed to be in class?" The other human form asked.

"I've got to go pick up my brothers from school and--"

"No, what you _have _to do is clean this mess you made." Gabriella sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry about that." Gabriella said, picking up the yellow manila folders and papers. When she was done, she got back up to leave but was halted by that same voice.

"Uh uh, I'm not done with you. Step into my office. Now." She commanded. Gabriella let out a frustrated grunt as she followed Ms. Golding into her office. She sat down inside throwing her books and bag to the ground. The woman eyed her suspiciously as she went through her file cabinet, pulling things out.

"I'm going to need to talk to your parents about this."

"Good luck, if you find my dad, I'd love to thank him for the bullshit he's put me through."

"Watch your language, and there's no need for the sarcasm either. What about your mother?"

"She's in jail."

"Then who's running your household?"

"My aunt, my mom's sister."

"Who does everything then?"

"I do everything ma'am. I always have and probably always will."

"You need to do something about school. Your grades are quickly dropping and for a girl with your intelligence and smarts, there's no reason why they should be.

"Look, I'm not doing this on purpose. Some days I have to leave and pick up my brothers and--"

"Don't give me excuses, Miss Montez. Don't try to lie about your ditching."

"I'm not ditching, I'm serious! I need a job, I need money."

"Gabriella, money is not as important as education and you know that."

"I am doing the best that I can, Ms. Golding."

"I'm sure you are, but you can do a lot better than what you're doing."

"Can I leave now? I enjoyed our little 'chat', but I have to get my brother."

"Do what you have to. If you have to leave, go ahead. But you listen to me, and you listen well," she stated as Gabriella walked to the door. "You better get your act together, and get that done soon."

* * *

The next day at school, Gabriella had occasional run ins and exchanged looks with Ms. Golding, but dismissed them, trying to rid her mind of their previous conversation. This time of the day, she was outside participating with her gym class. She was currently running her required laps as the football team practiced outside. It just so happened that Troy was captain of the team. They were outside practicing, since this was his free period. He watched her run way ahead of the other girls and looked on in admiration as she finished first. She stood their, hands on her knees, breathing heavily. She stood upright, saw him, and waved with a huge grin on her face. He smiled his signature smile, guaranteed to make anyone go weak in the knees, and waved back. She walked off to go grab her water when he ran and caught up to her.

"So how'd you learn to run that fast?"

"I've been running all my life." She said, stretching. If only he knew how true that was.

"You should run track." Gabriella nodded in agreement.

"So I've been told. The coach asked me, but, I don't know." Her voice trailed off.

"Well, why not?"

"It's just..I just don't have the time for this." Gabriella said, trying to end the conversation. "I'll see you around." She said, taking a gulp of water and racing back off to her class.

The day ended and Gabriella left school to get to her job at the 66 Diner, where she still worked despite the prior events. She carried various plates to their customers with no trouble at all. She went back into the kitchen where she took the tickets and prepared the meals speedily, not missing a beat.

"Gabriella, table six is waiting." Her manager, Nellie called from the front. She nodded to herself and put the finishing touches on the plate before carrying it out to the front. She gave them their order and walked past the bar when she saw a familiar face come in through the door. It was Troy. He sat down at the bar in front and smiled when he saw Gabriella. She quickly turned around and blushed as she raced to the back, but was stopped by Nellie.

"Hey, go take that new guy's order. I have to go do inventory in the back, I'm sure you can handle everything up here right?" Gabriella nodded, and pulled out her pad and pen. She took a deep breath and turned around to go face Troy.

"Welcome to the 66 Diner, can I get you anything?" She said, flipping to an empty page while keeping her head down.

"Gabriella?" She lifted her head slowly to meet his piercing blue eyes. A smile spread across his features. "I didn't know you worked here."

"Well, now you know right?" She joked back to him, before soon turning serious. She had to keep their relationship strictly platonic, especially at her job. She didn't want people getting the wrong idea. "Are you ready to order?"

"Sure, I'll have the Albuquerque Turkey special." He said, smiling to himself at her cute shyness.

"And for the side?" She said, scribbling it down, although it turned out to be illegible because of her trembling hands.

"I'll have a side of fries."

"Okay then, I'll be, uh, right back with your order." She said, rushing off to the back but not without slightly stumbling. She'd hoped Troy hadn't seen her, but she lost the internal battle when she heard him chuckle behind her. She continued to the back kitchen and opened the door to see Nellie looking at her with a sly grin.

"So who's he?" Nellie inquired, following Gabriella as she prepared Troy's order.

"Just a friend...from school. A school friend."

"Just friends? You sure?" Nellie asked. "You sure did look nervous when you were taking his order."

"Nervous? Why would you think that?" Gabriella scoffed incredulously as her hands continued to quiver.

"Just assuming you were. You always scratch your left leg with your right foot when you're nervous." As Nellie made this statement, that's what Gabriella did. "Just like that. And your hands always shake." By now, Gabriella could hear her heartbeat getting faster and faster as it echoed in her ears.

"Maybe I'm just cold." She countered to Nellie's second statement, ignoring the first.

"Cold? In a near 100 degree kitchen?" She peeked outside the doors, looking at Troy at the bar mindlessly twiddling his fingers. "You like him!"

"He's a friend! Just a friend.. from school!"

"A school friend?"

"Yes! Nothing more, nothing less."

"That's what you think. You need to hurry up, you can't keep the customer waiting much longer." Gabriella heeded her advice and took two plates, one for Troy and the other for another customer and went outside skipping past Nellie with a confident look on her face. Nellie shook her head and laughed to herself as she followed Gabriella outside with an order of her own.

"She's over the fucking moon."

Back with Gabriella, she brought Troy's order to him from behind and sat it in front of him carefully. "Here's your order, hope you enjoy. Can I get you anything else?"

"Some ketchup would be nice." Troy replied with a smirk. He thought this would be the perfect time to toy with her. She went behind the counter and reached down and tossed three packets to him.

"Is that enough?"

"This is soy sauce." Gabriella looked up and realized her mistake and blushed.

"Sorry about that." She reached back down and grabbed three more packets, while taking the others from him. She made sure they were ketchup. "Here you go. Is that all?"

"Yeah actually."

"What is it you need? A drink, more ketchup, mustard, relish, what?" Troy laughed.

"I'm just kidding with you." Gabriella let out a sigh of relief as she ran her hands through her hair exasperatedly. "You look like you've had a tough day. Need a ride home?" Gabriella's heart started pounding once more. Was she really offering a ride home? Alone? With him? In his car? Absolutely _not_.

"No, no," Gabriella replied and laughed softly, "I can get home fine. But thanks anyway." She said, turning around before she was stopped by his voice. "It's not far from her, I'll just take the bus."

"Why take the bus when I'm offering you a free ride? I promise I won't stalk you or anything if I find out where you live." Gabriella opened her mouth to answer, but was stopped once more. "I don't bite either, in case you're wondering. Unless you're into that sort of thing." He said winking at her. She felt goosebumps rise on her skin and she blushed again at his suggestive joke. "I'm kidding, again. What are you so afraid of?"

"Nothing. I'm not afraid of anything, it's just--it's not that big of a deal. My shift's nowhere near over anyways. I can take care of getting myself home."

"If it's not a big deal, then why don't you let me take you? Promise me you'll think about it. I won't leave until you give me an answer." Gabriella smiled at his obvious persistence.

"Enjoy your meal." She said as she walked off to the kitchen.

"You better take that ride home. Lord knows you don't need to be on the smelly raggedy bus."

"Will you stop hounding me? I can take care of myself."

"I can see that. But you need to start thinking about you. About your wants and your needs. And I know you want him out there."

"No, I don't." She sighed, leaning against the the counter.

"He seems really nice. He's great eye candy too. He's a good one, I can tell. If you don't get him while you've got the chance, I just might." She replied with a smirk.

"Nellie, my shift's not even over."

"Well as of now, it is. I'm giving you the rest of the day off, but I'll still pay you for a double. Let's just keep this between us okay?" Gabriella beamed and embraced her in a tight hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you so much! How can I repay you?"

"Think about yourself for a change. Don't forget what I said. Now go give that boy an answer before you drive him mad waiting." Gabriella gave her one last hug before leaving the kitchen. She took off her apron and hung it on the hooks near the door. She walked back to where Troy sat and eyed his almost empty plate.

"I see you enjoyed your food." She said, chuckling. "So, is that offer of giving me a ride home up for grabs still?"

"That depends." He said pushing his plate away. "You gonna take it?"

"I'd be glad to." She said smiling even wider than she had before. "Can we go?"

Troy looked confused. "Sure, but what about the check?" Gabriella smiled at him.

"Don't worry, it's on the house."

Gabriella soon clocked out of the resturant, making sure everything was in place before she left. She noticed Troy waiting by the door and sped up her ministrations. Once finally done, she took a deep breath and looked back to see Nellie watching her. She gave her a reassuring wink and a wave before disappearing into the back once more. Gabriella walked to the diner's doors and Troy quickly surveyed her.

"You ready?" Gabriella quickly nodded as the two made their way to Troy's car. He helped her get in safely on the passenger side, like a true gentleman should, before he settled into the driver's side. The car engine started as they made their silent journey towards Gabriella's home.

"So...do you mind telling me about yourself?" Troy asked, breaking the silence.

"I-I kinda do actually..I don't open up to those I don't know very well." Gabriella muttered silently.

"Then we should get to know each other, shouldn't we?" Troy inquired as Gabriella sat frozen in her seat. "I'll go first." Gabriella nodded. "I've lived here in Albuquerque since I was 7, I moved here from Los Angeles. My dad's the coach of East High's football team, as you can see. Don't laugh, but my mom's a psychiatrist."

"Why would I laugh at that?" Gabriella said, staring out of the window. "Why would anyone laugh at that?"

"I mean, who doesn't? She's always asking me these crazy questions like typical loony psychiatrists asks."

"That's her job isn't it? I'd like to go to a psychiatrist that actually cares and wants to know my problems, or maybe that's just me being too traditional." She said sarcastically. Troy ignored her comment and continued talking.

"So what about you? You haven't said anything the whole ride."

"There's not much to say," Gabriella sighed. "I'm a teenager. Pointless violence and sarcasm are my main goals in life."

"You've got the sarcasm part right."

"You haven't given me much of a chance to say anything, don't you think?"

"Well, yeah, I guess I'm a...a motormouth..when I get nervous." He said, scratching the back of his neck..like he did when he was nervous.

"I make you nervous?" Gabriella said, scratching her left leg with her right foot, one of her nervous tendencies.

"Well..yeah you do, kinda. But not a whole lot." Gabriella blushed. "OK, it's your turn to talk. My mouth is sealed." He said, imitating the act of pulling a zipper over his mouth.

"Turn right here, my house is on this corner," Gabriella said before she began to speak. Troy obeyed as he parked the car and they got out, walking to the sidewalk in front of her porch. They stood facing the house when she began to speak once more. "This..is my house. I live here with my aunt, 3 brothers and my little sister. We haven't seen our father in 5 years, he left when my youngest brother was born. Chris and Nathan are twins, Leah's my sister, and Manuel's the youngest. Chris has Asperger's Syndrome, it's a type of autism. He processes things a little slower than others, and repeats things a lot. Manuel has stranger anxiety, and he can't be alone too long, but what 5 year old can? Leah has a bit of a stuttering problem, and Nathan has ADHD. Oh, and not to mention, my mother's in jail and on drugs, there's no telling when we'll see her again. Before we got separated, her boyfriend tried to rape me. She caught him, and ended up taking his side and told me not to 'mess it up' for her. Is that enough for you?" Gabriella said, storming past him.

"I-I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's not your fault I'm screwed."

"No I mean, I like you Gabriella..I like you a lot, actually. I just want to know you." Gabriella was left speechless and opened her mouth to say something else when she heard the front door creak open, revealing her aunt.

"Gabriella? Come inside." She said, gesturing towards the living room.

"What's the matter?"

"Just come in. We'll talk inside."

"I really wish we could talk more about this, but it's like a circus show in here and I really don't have the time for--"

"How about I give you a ride to school tomorrow? We can talk more then."

"I really don't think that's a good idea, and I told you, I take the bus and--"

"Then let's take it..together." Gabriella softly smiled and nodded at him before replying.

"Bye Troy..I'll.. I'll just see you tomorrow." She said as she turned around to walk inside the house. Troy winked at her as she walked back inside the warm toasty house. He rubbed his hands together in an effort to make himself warm as he got back in his car and took off back home.

**There's chapter two and a little bit of Troyella fluff for you! And what do you think is going on inside? This will probably be a rather short story, since I'm going in order of how the Lifetime movie went. I may add some twists to make it longer. Review please!**


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